Litterpickers and bin bag hoops purchased with a grant from Leeds Together Fund
Today’s work party was a special event to celebrate a grant of £165 which the Leeds Together Fund awarded to Friends of Adel Woods this month to enable us to purchase three new litterpickers and six bin bag hoops. Bin bag hoops hold the mouth of bin bags open and make litterpicking a lot easier.
We had two aims today: first, to use our new equipment on a community litterpick around the Village Green and in Adel Woods; second, at the request of the Parish Ranger, to clear Himalayan Balsam from the woodland on the northern fringe of the Village Green.
We met in the Village Green carpark and had a record turn out of twenty six volunteers including a baby and your correspondent! Alwoodley Wombles also came with a supply of additional litterpickers in case they were needed.
Our happy and excited litterpicking team – brandishing litterpickers and bin bag hoops
Fourteen of our group were there to pick up litter. We furnished them with litterpickers, purple bags and bin bag hoops and despatched them to pick up litter around the Village Green and in the woods.
“Thanks so much for organising the litterpick – the boys and I had a great time…I hope we’ll join you again”.
The rest of us, including your correspondent, set off to pull up Himalayan Balsam.
The Himalayan Balsam team with Mark, the Parish Ranger
Himalayan Balsam is a non-native invasive plant which, left to its own devices, will cover large areas of land and shade out other plants. We discovered this morning that that is certainly the case to the north of the Village Green.
Massed Himalayan Balsam on the northern edge of the Village Green
Fortunately, Himalayan Balsam has extremely shallow roots which meant that in the space of an hour and three quarters we were able to pull up many thousands of plants.
In the course of our work we found a number of piles of dog mess. Your correspondent went to Fetch, the pet supplies shop opposite the Village Green, to purchase some poo bags, and Diane generously donated to Friends of Adel Woods a box of three hundred!
We were due to finish at 11.30 am but more than half of our balsam team enjoyed it so much that they stayed until 12 noon!
Friends of Adel Woods next to a pile of uprooted Himalayan Balsam
Thank you to the Leeds Together Fund for their generous grant, to Fetch for donating some poo bags, to Alwoodley Wombles for their support, and to all our wonderful volunteers who came and made the event a great success.
Come along to Friends of Adel Woods events!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
Our next work party is on Sunday the 15th June 2025 when we will be litterpicking and working on Adel Moor. You can find out more here.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, keep an eye on our Home Page and come along to one of our work parties.
If you would like to join our email mailing list, please get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
Friends of Adel Woods at the Buck Stone in July 2024
We are just about to complete our sixteenth year since Friends of Adel Woods came into being, and the last twelve months have been successful with many work parties and educational walks and talks.
Work parties
Usually, our work parties comprises a team of litterpickers and another team carrying out a task such as path clearing.
In the last year we have had twelve mornings of litterpicking and picked up about fifty bags of rubbish – so hats off to our dedicated band of litterpickers! We haven’t kept a tally, but it seems likely that since Friends of Adel Woods was formed, we have picked up over eight hundred bags of rubbish – in addition to disposing of larger items such as tyres and beer barrels!
Some of the rubbish we have collected over the last year
As well as litterpicking we have completed fifteen and a half mornings on the following tasks:
one morning working on Adel Moor with David Preston removing bracken, brambles and saplings.
one morning clearing bracken from around the Buck Stone
three mornings mowing the orchid meadow
four mornings clearing paths and fallen trees
three mornings working on Adel Bog (1 with David Preston)
one morning dredging Adel Pond with David Preston
one and a half days of nest box cleaning and surveying with Steve Joul
one morning putting tree guards on the orchard in the practice rugby field
Working on the orchid meadow with David Preston
Educational events
Since the last AGM we have had six educational walks – five with Steve Joul, and one with Leeds City Council ranger, David Preston. They were all a great success.
A fungal foray with Steve Joul on 17th November 2024
Steve led a variety of walks:
30th June: exploring biodiversity – a joint event with Alwoodley 2030
20th July: a stream and pond safari
29 September: a fungal foray
17th November: a fungal foray
4th May this year, a birdsong walk
On 28th August David led a guided batwalk attended by twenty six adults and nine children.
A bat walk with David Preston on 28th August 2024
I know from speaking to people who attend, and the messages I get from participants after these events, that people really enjoy them.
The Friends of Adel Woods Blog
If you would like to know more about our activities, please have a look at our blog entries.
Grants
Putting tree guards on the orchard in bitterly cold driving rain
We have received two grants in the last year.
In February we received a grant from Alwoodley 2030 to purchase tree guards for the orchard in the practice rugby field as the trees were suffering damage from deer and rabbits.
This month the Leeds Together Fund awarded Friends of Adel Woods a grant to purchase three litterpickers and six bin bag hoops. The purpose of the grant was to put on a community event during May and on the 31st May we are having a community litterpick.
Improvements to the Stairfoot Lane Carpark and Crag Lane
The Stairfoot Lane carpark after improvements
In December Leeds City Council resurfaced the Stairfoot Lane carpark and created a separate fenced off path through the carpark for the route of the Meanwood Valley Trail to keep pedestrians away from vehicles. This was clearly a big improvement.
In February the council resurfaced Crag Lane from the Stairfoot Lane carpark to Old Leo’s rugby club. This involved scraping off the mud from the surface, laying hardcore and then creating the new surface. This end result is a great improvement to Crag Lane.
Crag Lane after resurfacing work
However, my particular reason to mention this is that one of our regular volunteers, Matthew, contacted me on the 9th February, before the work was completed. He was very concerned because he had noticed that the hardcore used was of poor quality – containing crushed bricks, concrete, white ceramics and plastic piping – which was completely unacceptable in a woodland area. I contacted our local councillors and David Preston and passed on Matthew’s concerns and the result was that the worst hardcore was scraped off, and replaced with better quality hardcore.
So thank you very much to Matthew.
Water Quality in our Local Streams
Possible pollution in Adel Beck
Pollution of our rivers is a hot topic at the moment and in the past it has been raised with me by members of Friends of Adel Woods. One of the problems about looking into this is having accurate information about whether the streams are polluted or not.
In October last year I met up with a PhD student at Leeds who is active in promoting citizen science projects relating to water quality of our local streams. On 10th October, I walked with her along Nanny Beck and Meanwood Beck to look for signs of pollution and in February I organised a meeting of members of Friends of Adel Woods who would like to get involved in a water sampling project. About fourteen people attended the meeting. I am organising a meeting to form two or three groups who will take responsibility for the sampling. While it makes sense for Friends of Adel Woods to help steer this project, I am hoping that this will become a separate self-sustaining project.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust event
On the 19th November, three of our committee – Steve, Sue and myself – went to an event organised by Alwoodley 2030 when Yorkshire Wildlife Trust gave a talk on the state of nature in Yorkshire.
Thank yous
Working on Adel Bog
So as usual, I would like to thank our committee and volunteers for all the work they have done over the last year. FOAW would not exist without the committee and volunteers. And I am looking forward to another year of fun, laughter and friendship. New members are always welcome!
I would particularly like to thank Judith for all the work she has done as treasurer over the last 16 years, and Stephanie who was our secretary from 2009 until July of last year.
Steve Joul on a stream and pond safari
Thank you to Steve Joul for leading five educational events this year – and helping to raise funds for Friends of Adel Woods.
Thank you to David Preston for the work he has done with us the last year. David is changing jobs to join the Public Rights of Way team imminently, and so we may not work with him again.
Looking to the future
As I and the rest of the committee get older, I get more concerned about how to ensure that Friends of Adel Woods continues for years to come. This is something which we need to consider over the coming year. New volunteers are always welcome!
Roger Gilbert
Chair of Friends of Adel Woods
COME ALONG TO FRIENDS OF ADEL WOODS EVENTS!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, keep an eye on our Home Page and come along to one of our work parties.
If you would like to join our email mailing list, please get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
Another lovely day, and fifteen of us met up to work on Adel Bog and to pick up litter.
Litterpicking
Four Friends chose to litterpick this morning, and they split into two “teams”.
One team worked their way along Crag Lane, to the picnic area, Adel Crag and the Stairfoot Lane carpark and collected two bags of litter.
The other team focused on the Village Green and around the children’s play area. There was a lot of litter and they picked up two very full bags. They found two sun hats, socks, and woollen gloves in the play area and positioned them on railings in the hope that their owners might return to collect them.
Adel Bog
The rest of us worked on Adel Bog. Despite the period of almost two months of drought, the bog was looking quite green – with wild flowers beginning to appear, and lots of rushes.
Tormentil (potentilla erecta) coming into flower on Adel Bog
We focused on clearing saplings and brambles from the northern boundary of the bog, and using them to make the northern boundary clearer, and to build up the dead hedge we have constructed on the southern boundary.
Inspecting the job: saplings and brambles on the northern boundary of the bog
The removal of saplings was made much easier by our tree popper purchased with a grant from Alwoodley Parish Council.
As we cleared the saplings we came across two nests from last year – a small one, probably a robin’s nest; and a larger song thrush nest, identifiable by its smooth lining of mud [the larger mistle thrush also uses mud to construct its nest, but lines it with grass].
A robin’s nestA song thrush nest – with a smooth mud lining
We finished work at 12 noon and it was a very satisfying morning’s work.
About Friends of Adel Woods
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, keep an eye on our Home Page and come along to one of our work parties.
If you would like to join our email mailing list, please get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
Another glorious Spring day, and seven of us gathered at the Slabbering Baby entrance to the woods on Buckstone Road at 10 am to litterpick and work on Adel Bog.
Litterpicking
Only one of us chose to pick up litter but in an impressive effort lasting over two hours, she picked up litter around Nanny Beck, the Village Green, along Crag Lane and around Adel Crag.
She picked up two bagfuls of litter, including a lot of bagged dog poo, plastic bottles and paper towels. There was litter in Nanny Beck but she was not able to get to it.
She also found a sunhat which she left on a bench in the hope that it would find its way to its owner.
One of the rubbish bins on Alwoodley Village Green
The two council litter bins on the green were overflowing – which is a good sign that the majority of the good folk of Alwoodley use the bins provided.
Adel Bog
Today six of us continued the work we have been doing with David Preston, our local ranger, to keep Adel Bog in good condition.
Removing a bramble
While the bog looks very dry – which is not surprising after the long period of sunny dry weather we have had in the last few weeks – there was plenty of water underfoot, and there were very many rushes springing up all over the bog.
Today we focused on removing saplings, and brambles from the northern and western edges of the bog.
Working on Adel Bog – with the dead hedge in the background
The bog is a fragile environment and we would like to keep dogs and walkers away from it, so we used the materials we removed to build up the dead hedge which we created with David Preston on the southern and western perimeter of the bog in 2023. A dead hedge is – as the name suggests – a hedge consisting of non-living plant materials.
We were delighted to find a lovely patch of well over a hundred wood anemones in flower in the central area of the bog.
Five happy Friends of Adel Woods
Friends of Adel Woods: get involved and make a difference
Friends of Adel Woods is a community-led group dedicated to protecting, preserving, and celebrating the natural beauty and biodiversity of Adel Woods, a treasured woodland area in [North Leeds. Our mission is to ensure that this vital green space remains a thriving habitat for wildlife and a peaceful retreat for local residents and visitors.
Through conservation projects, guided walks, educational events, and collaborative efforts with Leeds City Council we work to foster a deeper connection between people and nature. Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist, a weekend walker, or someone who simply enjoys the calm of the woods, there’s a place for you in the Friends of Adel Woods.
Join us in caring for this special place—together, we can ensure its legacy for generations to come.
On the 4th May, our expert naturalist, Steve Joul, will be leading a birdsong walk in the woods. Our next “work party” is on Saturday the 17th May when we will be litterpicking and path clearing.
If you would like to make a difference to your local environment, there’s a place for you here. No experience necessary—just enthusiasm and a love for the outdoors.
If you would like us to add you to our mailing list, please click on the comment button on this page.
A fine Spring morning for litterpicking and working on Adel Bog.
Today we had five litterpickers, who between them picked up four full bags of litter from Buckstone Road, around the Village Green, around the rugby ground and along Crag Lane.
Four of us worked on Adel Bog. Although the bog looks very dry in the photograph above, it was in fact quite wet.
Today we were removing brambles and using our tree popper to remove saplings from the northern/top part of the bog, and using the brambles and saplings to build up the dead hedge which we have been creating around the perimeter.
We had a very satisfying morning.
After packing up work on the bog, two of us carried out some repairs to damage to the fence running between Buckstone Road and King Lane.
ABOUT FRIENDS OF ADEL WOODS (ACCORDING TO CHAT GPT)
Friends of Adel Woods is a community group dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of Adel Woods, a picturesque woodland in North Leeds, England. Established in July 2009, the group has been instrumental in maintaining the woods and fostering community engagement.
Formation and Early Activities
The group was founded with the aim of preserving the natural beauty of Adel Woods and promoting its enjoyment among local residents. Since its inception, Friends of Adel Woods has organized monthly meetings to carry out various conservation tasks, including:
Clearing paths to improve accessibility.
Installing bird and bat boxes to support local wildlife.
Removing litter and fly-tipping to maintain the woods’ cleanliness.
These efforts have significantly contributed to the upkeep and enhancement of the woodland area.
Educational Initiatives
Beyond conservation work, the group has organized numerous educational walks and talks, enriching the community’s understanding of the local environment and its history. These events have covered a range of topics, from local flora and fauna to the historical significance of the area.
Community Impact
Friends of Adel Woods has played a pivotal role in fostering a sense of community among local residents. By actively involving individuals in conservation efforts and educational activities, the group has strengthened the bond between people and their natural surroundings. Their ongoing dedication ensures that Adel Woods remains a cherished and well-preserved space for future generations.
Be part of Friends of Adel Woods!
If you would like to be part of FOAW, please come along to one of our monthly meetings or get in touch through this website – you should find a “comment” button below.
Despite it being a rather cold and damp morning, we had an amazing turn out of twelve Friends (including a toddler) and a spaniel!
Nine of us chose to do a litterpick and two of us to do some path clearing.
The litterpickers
The litterpickers split into two teams. One team picked up litter along Crag Lane, along the track to the cricket pavilion, and then along Buckstone Road and across the Village Green.
The other team focused on the Village Green, the area around the edge of the Village Green, and the playground area.
Between them they picked up nine bags of litter. A fantastic achievement.
Path clearing
Before (looking down the path towards Crag Lane)…
We two path clearers made our way along Crag Lane and onto the “diagonal” path on the right, just before Old Leo’s carpark. A short way up this path, a tree had fallen and although part of it had been cleared from the path, it was still making the path very narrow.
….and after
Having cleared away the many branches, we made our way further up the path and trimmed back a holly bush which was growing over the path.
Before……and after
We then made our way westwards along the path towards the former rugby field and tackled another large tree which had fallen across the path.
Before….
The trunk of the tree was too big for us to tackle, but we were able to clear away many of the branches.
…and after
Finally, we made our way down to Crag Lane, and towards the picnic area. Part way along we cleared away the branches of another fallen tree.
Whilst on Crag Lane we took the opportunity to have a look at some improvement work which Leeds City Council is carrying out to its surface.
Resurfacing work to Crag Lane, looking in the direction of the Stairfoot Lane carpark Resurfacing work to Crag Lane behind Old Leo’s
Come along to Friends of Adel Woods events!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, keep an eye on our Home Page and come along to one of our work parties.
If you would like to join our email mailing list, please get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
A fine morning and nine of us met in the Stairfoot Lane carpark at 10 am – four volunteers for litterpicking and five for clearing footpaths.
Some kindly soul had left half a dozen bags of compost – possibly from a cannabis farm – just over the fence from the carpark. Before we left we emptied the compost into the undergrowth and put the plastic bags in the carpark waste bin.
Litterpicking
Our litterpickers made their way along Crag Lane to Old Leo’s rugby club carpark. They found little litter on Crag Lane or around Adel Crag. However, there was plenty in the Stairfoot Lane carpark and around the rugby club and they picked up about two bags including lots of bags of dog faeces, many bottles and a filled disposable nappy.
A special mention goes to Rowan, our youngest volunteer this morning, who was very enthusiastic and very good at spotting difficult to see bits of glass!
Path clearing
Our path clearers first of all tackled a birch tree which had fallen across the path from the Stairfoot Lane carpark up to the hospice woodland. We then pruned back some holly a little higher up the same path.
Clearing holly on the path up to the hospice woodland
Our next destination was Adel Crag where another silver birch had fallen over between Crag Lane and the Crag. We also took the opportunity to prune some of the scrub in that area.
Clearing a fallen birch tree in front of Adel Crag
In August Storm Lilian blew two very large oak trees over onto the Crag. The trees are far too big for Friends of Adel Woods to tackle, but we completed our morning’s work by clearing away some of the smaller branches to the side of the Crag.
Adel Crag at the end of our morning’s work
Finally, we cleared away a pallet which had been left by the Crag.
Join Friends of Adel Woods!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, keep an eye on our Home Page and just come along to one of our work parties.
Over the last fifteen years we have picked up over four hundred bags of rubbish – which makes you wonder what the woods would look like today without the loving care our volunteers have given them.
In our first two litterpicks alone in July and August 2009 we picked up fifty three bags of litter plus many things which will not fit into a plastic bag – like a chair and a shopping trolley. You can find our reports here – July 2009 and August 2009.
If you would like to join our email mailing list, please get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
Our plan today was to litter pick and to work with Leeds City Council ranger, David Preston, on Adel Pond. However, as Robert Burns so aptly wrote:
“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley” [go awry].
Yesterday we woke up to find an inch of snow on the roads, the roofs and our gardens, with snow and sleet continuing to fall. Whilst the temperature rapidly rose to double figures during yesterday morning, the sleet turned to rain, and the snow disappeared by yesterday evening, Storm Bert brought further heavy rain overnight, with the forecast being for heavy rain which would continue until this afternoon.
Amid this weather, it was not surprising that David was not able to make it to Leeds due to flooding.
A decision was therefore made to change our plan to an hour or so’s litterpicking.
In the event, whilst Storm Bert caused havoc and mayhem elsewhere across the UK, in Alwoodley and Adel the rain had stopped by 10 am, and eight volunteers met up at the Slabbering Baby entrance to the woods – four old hands, and four newbies. It turned out to be a very pleasant morning.
We separated into two teams.
Two of our regulars set off and picked up litter from the banks of Nanny Beck (the stream running alongside Buck Stone Road), the recreation ground and the trees around it. They picked up two and a half bags of litter including a child’s wooden rattle.
The remaining six of us started by picking up litter from the path down to the Slabbering Baby – an unusual find being a fire extinguisher! We then made our way back to the cricket pavilion, taking a look at Adel Moor on the way.
Adel Moor in August 2024
From the cricket pavilion we picked up litter along the path up to Crag Lane, along Crag Lane, around Adel Crag, and in and around the Stairfoot Lane car park. Just outside the carpark we found four car number plates – no doubt discarded in the course of criminal activity.
From there we made our way back to Buck Stone Road, having collected five and a half bags of litter – making the total haul eight bags.
JOIN FRIENDS OF ADEL WOODS!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, just come along to one of our work parties or get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
A cool and damp day, but not enough to cool or dampen down the spirits of seven Friends of Adel Woods!
Today the plan was to litterpick and work with David Preston, Leeds City Council ranger, on Adel Bog.
We met up with David at the Slabbering Baby entrance to the woods in Buck Stone Road. Two of us chose to litterpick, while five of us chose to work with David on Adel Bog.
Our plucky litterpickers set off
The litter pickers made their way up to the village green, along Crag Lane to the Stairfoot Lane car park and then back along Crag Lane to the Slabbering Baby and back to Buck Stone Road. En route they collected two bags of litter.
Adel Bog looking westwards
The “bog team” transported tree poppers, mattocks, saws and loppers to Adel Bog where the plan was to remove saplings and brambles and create a “dead hedge” around the boundary of the bog.
The bog is a special habitat in Adel Woods. It is home to heath spotted orchids, bog asphodel , cotton grass, and other plants which are not found elsewhere in Adel Woods. Friends of Adel Woods have done a lot of work on the bog over the years to preserve it: if saplings and brambles are not removed, the bog will soon turn into woodland.
David standing in front of our new stretch of dead hedge
A dead hedge is what it says on the tin (or would do if it were in a tin!), a hedge but made with stakes, tree branches, uprooted saplings, brambles and the like. We started making a dead hedge last year and we were pleased to see that willow wands in the hedge had taken root to make the hedge even more effective.
Two friends of Adel Woods – with a tree popper (yellow device on the left)
The purpose of the dead hedge is to deter people from creating paths across the bog or picnicking there and to preserve this special spot in Adel Woods.
David with three happy members of our team, standing in front of the dead hedge
We removed many saplings with the use of our tree popper, and uprooted many brambles, all of which went into the construction of our dead hedge. Thank you David and team!
JOIN FRIENDS OF ADEL WOODS!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, just come along to one of our work parties or get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
For further information, please have a look at our home page.
An overcast and damp day, but a good turn out of ten Friends met at 10 am in Buck Stone Road by the Slabbering Baby entrance to the woods. Our mission to pick up litter and remove fallen trees and encroaching brambles from paths.
The Litter Pickers
Rubbish found at Adel Crag
Three of our group chose to pick up litter and made their way up to Crag Lane and along Crag Lane to Adel Crag and Stairfoot Lane carpark.
The bulk of the litter was by Adel Crag where someone seemed to have held some sort of event, leaving a lot of rubbish behind – including wood and large lumps of foam from a bed or settee.
All in all, our valiant litterpickers picked up four full bags of rubbish plus large lumps of foam which wouldn’t fit in them. They were unable to remove the heavy wood. They also spotted a buried bag of rubbish by Stairfoot Lane car park but they were unable to unearth it.
The path clearers
Two of our number set off to Alwoodley Plantation (on the northern side of Crag Lane) with the intention of clearing holly which has grown across the paths there. However, they found that paths were also obstructed by trees and branches which had fallen across them during Storm Lilian on the 22nd August. They had a productive time, but there is still lots to do.
Clearing a fallen silver birch in Alwoodley Plantation
At the same time, yours truly and the remaining four path clearers made our way down past the Slabbering Baby to the bridge over Adel (or Meanwood) Beck. From there we followed the path by the side of the beck leading towards Stairfoot Lane.
Storm Lilian on the 22nd August had blown over a number of trees along this path. In addition, the path had been made narrow in various places by encroaching brambles.
Taking a breather after cutting back bramblesAnother fallen tree: before….…and after
We got about three quarters of the way to Stairfoot Cottage before it was time to finish and return to Buck Stone Road. Another great work party in Adel Woods!
Three happy Friends of Adel Woods
JOIN FRIENDS OF ADEL WOODS!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join us.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, just come along to one of our work parties or get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
Our next events
Our next educational event is a Fungal Foray with our expert naturalist, Steve Joul, on Sunday 17th November 2024.
Our next work party is on Sunday the 24th November 2024 when we will be litterpicking and working with David Preston, our local countryside ranger, to dredge Adel Pond and clear the ditches feeding it.
For further information, please have a look at our home page.
Friends of Adel Woods 